Status Updates From The Rachel Papers

impedimenta
noun [ plural ] mainly humorous
UK /ɪmˌped.ɪˈmen.tə/
the objects that you need for a particular activity that are heavy or difficult to carry:
We were weighed down with sleeping bags, gas cookers and pans - all the impedimenta of camping.

syncopate
verb [ I or T ] MUSIC specialized
UK /ˈsɪŋ.kə.peɪt/
to have a rhythm in which strong notes are not on the beat, or to create music that has this rhythm:
The music suddenly syncopates, like ragtime.
The melodies were syncopated off the bass lines.

amorphous
adjective
UK /əˈmɔː.fəs/ /ˌeɪˈmɔː.fəs/
(of a physical thing) having no fixed form or shape:
an amorphous mass of jelly
(of an idea, a plan, etc.) having no clear structure or details:
How can historians deal with such amorphous human qualities as fear and grief?
It wasn't clear what they expected from me other than the amorphous "change".

beleaguered
adjective formal
UK /bɪˈliː.ɡəd/
having a lot of problems or difficulties:
The arrival of the fresh medical supplies was a welcome sight for the beleaguered doctors working in the refugee camps.

capricious
adjective literary
UK /kəˈprɪʃ.əs/
changing mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedly:
a capricious child
He was a cruel and capricious tyrant.

recondite
adjective formal
UK /ˈrek.ən.daɪt/
not known about by many people and difficult to understand:
We had to work from material that was both complex and recondite.